Sheltering from Active Shooters

[Marcus]

That's horrifying. I'm glad you are safe. Were you able to contact your family while you were sheltering in place?

[Kishkumen]

That's horrifying. I'm glad you are safe. Were you able to contact your family while you were sheltering in place?

Thanks, Marcus. The answer is yes. I was in touch with family throughout the lockdown.

[Marcus]

That's horrifying. I'm glad you are safe. Were you able to contact your family while you were sheltering in place?

Thanks, Marcus. The answer is yes. I was in touch with family throughout the lockdown.

That's good to hear. My mind always goes there during things like this*. Glad you're safe.


(* I was able to reach my spouse who works in NYC the morning of 9/11 when the towers were being attacked and make sure he was safe. He told me he hadn't yet heard from his twin brother who was a NYC firefighter. Minutes later all phone communication became impossible and all NYC bridges closed. I didn't hear from him again for about 14 hours, until he could finally get out of the city via an upstate bridge, but I knew he was safe and coming home.

His brother's wife missed that communication window and she was unable to verify her husband's whereabouts or even whether he was alive for about the same length of time. It was a terrible time.)

[ceeboo]

After seeing the awful news and knowing your connection to FSU, I thought about you, Kish, and decided to pop in here to check on you.

Horrifying.

[Kishkumen]

That's good to hear. My mind always goes there during things like this*. Glad you're safe.


(* I was able to reach my spouse who works in NYC the morning of 9/11 when the towers were being attacked and make sure he was safe. He told me he hadn't yet heard from his twin brother who was a NYC firefighter. Minutes later all phone communication became impossible and all NYC bridges closed. I didn't hear from him again for about 14 hours, until he could finally get out of the city via an upstate bridge, but I knew he was safe and coming home.

His brother's wife missed that communication window and she was unable to verify her husband's whereabouts or even whether he was alive for about the same length of time. It was a terrible time.)

What an awful ordeal! Did everything turn out OK for your family? I am sorry I had forgotten about this. None of your particular story is ringing a bell for me, though I will never forget 9/11 itself. I recall being terrified that my dad might have been in the Pentagon. Fortunately, he was not there that day. I was able to find out when I reached him safe at his home in Reston, VA.

[Kishkumen]

After seeing the awful news and knowing your connection to FSU, I thought about you, Kish, and decided to pop in here to check on you.

Horrifying.

Thanks for checking in, ceeboo. It is reassuring to me that we are still connected somehow in all this madness.

[Marcus]

That's good to hear. My mind always goes there during things like this*. Glad you're safe.


(* I was able to reach my spouse who works in NYC the morning of 9/11 when the towers were being attacked and make sure he was safe. He told me he hadn't yet heard from his twin brother who was a NYC firefighter. Minutes later all phone communication became impossible and all NYC bridges closed. I didn't hear from him again for about 14 hours, until he could finally get out of the city via an upstate bridge, but I knew he was safe and coming home.

His brother's wife missed that communication window and she was unable to verify her husband's whereabouts or even whether he was alive for about the same length of time. It was a terrible time.)

What an awful ordeal! Did everything turn out OK for your family? I am sorry I had forgotten about this. None of your particular story is ringing a bell for me, though I will never forget 9/11 itself. I recall being terrified that my dad might have been in the Pentagon. Fortunately, he was not there that day. I was able to find out when I reached him safe at his home in Reston, VA.

Yes, more or less. My spouse's twin was on duty in a different borough, so he survived the day but he subsequently spent 130 days at ground zero in the aftermath, which of course caused considerable damage. He passed away about two years ago, at a relatively young age. 9/11 continues to take its toll.

[Kishkumen]

A few minutes ago, I received an email from the office of the property manager of my condo, informing me that the manager’s brother was one of the two people slain by the shooter. My building is a ten minute walk from campus, but this is still a shock to me. He was a middle-aged Latino gentleman. I feel a mixture of red hot anger and sorrow. What she must be going through right now! So awful.

[Kishkumen]

Yes, more or less. My spouse's twin was on duty in a different borough, so he survived the day but he subsequently spent 130 days at ground zero in the aftermath, which of course caused considerable damage. He passed away about two years ago, at a relatively young age. 9/11 continues to take its toll.

The world moves on to other things, but the victims of the violence take the hit. He made an enormous sacrifice in his service, and no doubt he just did what he felt the right thing was in those 130 days.

[Marcus]

Yes, more or less. My spouse's twin was on duty in a different borough, so he survived the day but he subsequently spent 130 days at ground zero in the aftermath, which of course caused considerable damage. He passed away about two years ago, at a relatively young age. 9/11 continues to take its toll.

The world moves on to other things, but the victims of the violence take the hit. He made an enormous sacrifice in his service, and no doubt he just did what he felt the right thing was in those 130 days.

Absolutely. His fellow firefighters showed up en masse at his funeral. But the most touching part was at his wake. His fellow firefighters stood guard for his entire wake, two at a time and in full dress uniform, changing shifts every half hour. If you've never seen that (as I hadn't) it is astonishing to observe. His son, who is now also a firefighter, took the first and last shift, along with a very close family friend.

Another friend, a retired firefighter now living in Florida, stood in the forested area above his burial location, and played the bagpipes, acting as 'the lone piper.' We owe a debt forever to the NYC firefighters who fought for us that day and sacrificed so much.